Justice Department Orders Eric Adams' Bribery Charges To Be Dropped

The Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors to drop their charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams Monday. 

The letter from U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove III could put an indefinite hold on a corruption case that accuses the mayor of accepting and soliciting illegal campaign contributions, wire fraud and bribery, including from the real estate world. 

In the letter, Bove wrote that the case should be dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could be brought back in the future. He also specified that the Justice Department decided on the order “without assessing the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based.” 

The letter said that the September indictment interferes with Adams’ campaign in this year’s mayoral election and restricts his ability to devote attention and resources to the crackdown on illegal immigration and violent crime.

“As I said from the outset, I've never broke the law and I never would,” Adams said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon. “I never asked anyone to break the law on my behalf or on behalf of my campaign.”

Adams was indicted for allegedly receiving illegally discounted air travel, free hotel rooms, meals and entertainment from Turkish diplomats in exchange for favors. That includes ordering the Fire Department of New York City to greenlight the opening of a 36-story, $300M skyscraper for the Turkish Consulate without passing its fire inspection. 

Additionally, Adams allegedly assisted donors to expedite applications with the NYC Department of Buildings, according to the indictment. 

The Adams administration has been surrounded by a series of investigations. Several of his top officials have stepped down from their roles, including his former chief adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin.

Lewis-Martin was indicted in December and accused of taking bribes from real estate investors in a separate case.

However, his support from the real estate industry has not waned. The mayor recently celebrated the passing of his citywide rezoning, dubbed City of Yes, and has pushed for the creation of more housing in his latest State of the City address.

“I think it’s good for the city in the short term [if] the charges are dropped,” a prominent developer told Bisnow on the condition of anonymity. “The mayor was completely distracted. He’s focused on saving his job and not going to jail. His objectives are generally aligned with real estate, so having him focused on being able to do his job is good for the city.”

In January, Adams flew to meet with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, and attending the presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C. There has been speculation that a friendly relationship between the two cleared the way for the dismissal. 

“To be clear, we did not discuss my legal case,” Adams said in a statement following the meeting. “Those who suggest the mayor of the largest city in the nation shouldn't meet with the incoming president to discuss our city's priorities because of inaccurate speculation or because we're from different parties clearly care more about politics than people.”

Adams reportedly met with senior staff on Monday, hours before Bove's letter was made public, telling them to avoid criticizing the president or interfering with immigration enforcement.

In his address Tuesday, Adams boasted about how the city government has “never been stronger” despite the investigation. He boasted that the city has seen a record drop in crime and the most housing built in any three years.

Rlty Co. CEO and co-founder Briggs Elwell said in the months since the indictment was handed out, Adams became less accessible to the real estate industry. That is now expected to change. 

“In the brokerage community, he's very close with a lot of very, very successful residential and commercial agents,” Elwell said in a phone call Tuesday. “The immediate feedback I've heard has been incredibly positive in the sense that he can basically get back to work.”

Ciara Long contributed to this story.